Apparatus for controlling the motion of electric switches.



No. 670,202. Patented Mar. l9, I90l.

W. K!NGSLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOTION 0F ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

(Application filed Aug; 0, 1900 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 670,202. I Patented Mar. l9, I90l. W. KINGSLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOTION 0F ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 190.I

(No Model.) 2 Sheeis-$heet 2.

III

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KINGSLAND, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MOTION OF ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,202, dated March 19, 1901.

Application filed August 9, 1900. Serial No. 26,318. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KINGSLAND, electrical engineer, of 8 Breams Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the city of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Controlling and. Regulating the Motion of Electric Switches which are Operated by Tappet Action, (for which I have made application for a patent in Great Britain under No. 1,618, dated January 25, 1900,) of which the following is a specification.

In electrical switches which are employed to connect and disconnect an electrical circuit and are operated by means of a tappet action it may and frequently does happen that the moving part or parts of the switch acquire (as the result of such tappet action) greater momentum than is necessary to carry out the required amount of movement of the switch, and that amount of the momentum which is unrequired to effect the requisite change in position of the switch is detrimental in that it may carry the moving part of the switch beyond the position which it is desired it should assume or cause injury to the switch mechanism; and the object of my present invention is to to provide means to overcome these disadvantages. With this object in view'l provide mechanism, as hereinafterdescribed, to regulate and control the motion of the rotative shaft by which the switch is operated, the rotative shaft receiving its motion by the impact of a moving tappet bar or bars. Such regulating and controlling mechanism I so arrange that the switch-shaft during its motion is subjected to a frictional braking action, and the braking mechanism producing this action is so fitted that the impact of the tappet is taken up by springs or equivalent devices, which latter are also arranged to effect the return of the moving parts to the position they should be caused to assume in cases where the said parts are carried by the impact beyond such required positions, such return or adjustment being efiected by the resilient or other accumulated power.

My invention, as aforesaid, is applicable to any switch which is operated by a tappet action, and particularly to switches employed in electrical traction, where the said switches are to be operated mechanically by a tappetarm carried by or connected to a motor-vehicle moving at various speeds along a line of rails.

1 will describe my invention by way of example in its application to a rotative form of switch actuated by a tappet action, such as is in partillustrated with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 being an end view, Fig. 2 a side elevation of same, and Fig. 3 an enlarged view of the brake device.

This example of switch is composed of a cylinder A, of some insulating material, fixed upon a rotative shaft B and having upon a portion of its circumference a conducting plate or plates A, there being contact springs or brushes A A pressing against the surface of the cylinder A and electrically connected, respectively, say, to a main conductor and a sectional conductor in a sectional conductor system of electrical traction. Mounted upon the rotative shaft B of the switch is a tappet-wheel B, having several arms, which latter are successively operated by tappets, such as T, carried by the vehicle as the latter passes along the track in such manner as to give the tappet-wheel B a partial turn or partial turns every time a vehicle passes. In such a form of switch mechanism 1 apply my automatic controlling and regulating device to the shaft B or to a drum 0 thereon, the device itself (marked D in Figs. 1 and 2) being shown in end elevation at Fig. 3 drawn to a larger scale than the previous figures. The brake device, as shown at Fig. 3, is composed of two levers D D, hinged together at one end and embracing the drum 0, which is fixed on the tappet-wheelshaft B, the inner sides of the levers D D forming brake-blocks to act upon the said drum 0, while the otherwise free ends of the levers are drawn together by a spring D the tension of which can be adjusted. Such a brake device is maintained in its normal position by being balanced by means of springs or a counterbalanceweight, so that the whole brake device may have a small partial rotative movement and be returned to its normal position by the accumulated power, as will be readily understood. In the construction shown I connect the hinged end of the brake-lever arms D D to two oppositely-acting balancing-springs EE,supported between stationary supports E E, whereby the said balancing-springs E E allow for the impact of the tappet and return the brake device back to its normal position, the latter device carrying with it the tappet-shaft B, and coir sequently the switch only receives as a result of each tappet operation a certain and defined degree of rotative movement.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electrical switch for connecting and disconnecting an electrical circuit, and which is operated by a shaft, receiving" stepby-step rotative motion by the impact of pass ing' tappets; the combination with the operating-shaft; of a frictional brake, carried by and acting upon the shaft, and balancing devices to support the said frictional brake to prevent the latter completely rotating with the shaft, whereby the shock produced by the impact of the moving tappet is absorbed by the balancing devices, the latter after the tappet action returning the frictional brake to its normal position and the operating-shaft to the required position, by the power accumulated in the balancing devices, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electrical switch for connecting and disconnecting an electrical circuit, and which is operated by a shaft receiving stepby-step rotative motion by the impact of passing' tappets; the combination with the operating-shaft, of brake-blocks held in frictional contact with the said shaft, means for adjusting the said brake-blocks to increase or decrease the amount of frictional grip of the brake-blocks .upon the shaft, and balancing devices to support the brake-blocks to prevent the latter completely rotating, with the shaft, whereby the shock produced by the impact of the moving tappet is absorbed by the balancing devices, the latter after the tappet action returning the frictional brake to its normal position and the operating-shaft to the required position, by the power accumulated in the balancing devices, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electrical switch for connectingand disconnecting an electrical circuit, and which is operated by a shaft receiving slepby-step rotati ve motion by the impact of passing tappets; the combination with the opcrating-shaft, of brake-blocks held in frictional contact with the said shaft, means for adjustin; the said brake-blocks to increase or decrease the amount of frictional grip of the brake-blocks upon the shaft, and springs connectint, the brake-blocks to a stationary frame to prevent the brake-blocks completely rotating with the shaft, and whereby the shock produced by the impact of the moving tappet is absorbed, the springs after the tappet action returning the frictional brake to its normal position, and the operating-shaft to the required position, by the power accum ulatcd in the springs, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electrical switch for connecting and disconnecting an electrical circuit, and which is operated by a shaft receiving stepby-step rotative motion by the impact of passing tappets; the combination with the operating-shaft, of two brake-blocks upon opposite sides of the shaft and partly embracing same,ahinged connection coupling the brakeblocks together at one end thereof, and an adjustable connection coupling the brakeblocks at the other end thereof, and adapted by its adjustment to regulate the friction of the blocks upon the shaft; and balancing devices to support the said frictional brake to prevent the latter completely rotating with the shaft, and whereby the shock produced by the impact of the moving tappet is absorbed by the balancing devices, the latter after the tappet action returning the frictional brake to its normal position and the operating-shaft to the required position, by the power accumulated in the balancing devices, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM KINGSLAND.

\Vitnesses:

GRIFFITH BREWER, THOMAS W'ILLIAM RoGERs. 

